"bonus" means a share of the profits of a registered society divided among its members in proportion to the volume of business done with the society by them from which the profits of the society were derived;

"committee" means the governing body of a registered society to whom the management of its affairs is entrusted;

"dividend" means a share of the profits of a registered society divided among its members in proportion to the share capital held by them;

"member" includes a person or registered society joining in the application for the registration of a society and a person or registered society admitted to membership in accordance with the rules;

"officer" includes the chairman, secretary, treasurer, member of committee, or other person empowered under the regulations or rules to give directions in regard to the business of a registered society;

"registered society" means a co-operative society registered under this Act;

"Registrar" means the Registrar of Co-operative Societies appointed under section 3 and includes any person when exercising such powers of the Registrar as may have been conferred upon him under that section;

"regulations" means regulations made under this Act;

"rules" means the registered rules made by a society under this Act.

Registration

3 Appointment of Registrar and Assistant Registrars

The Governor-General may appoint a person to be Registrar of Co-operative Societies for Jamaica and may appoint persons to assist such Registrar and may by general or special order published in the Gazette, confer on any such persons all or any of the powers of a Registrar under this Act.

4 Societies which may be registered

Subject to the provisions of this Act a society may be registered under this Act which-

[46/1957 s 2.]

(a) has as its object the promotion of the economic interests of its members in accordance with cooperative principles and consists of not less than ten members each of whom is qualified under section 23 for membership; or

(b) is established with the object of facilitating the operations of a society described in paragraph (a) and includes among its members at least two registered societies.

5 Conditions of registration

(1) The word "co-operative" shall form part of the name of every registered society.

[46/1957 s 3.]

(2) The liability of every registered society which includes one or more registered societies among its members shall be limited.

(3) The word "limited"shall be the last word in the name of every registered society with limited liability.

(4) No society shall be registered under this Act under a name identical with that under which any other existingsociety is registered or so nearly resembling such name as to be likely to mislead the members or the public as to its identity.

6 Application for registration

(1) For the purpose of registration an application shall be made to the Registrar.

(2) The application shall be signed-

(a) in the ease of a society of which no member is a registered society, by at least ten persons qualified in accordance with the requirements of section 23; and

[46/1957 s 4.]

(b) in the ease of a society of which a member is a registered society, by a duly authorised person on behalf of every such registered society, and, where all the members of the society are not registered societies, by ten other members, or where there are less than ten other members, by all of them.

(3) The application shall be accompanied by three copies of the proposed rules of the society and the persons by whom or on whose behalf such application is made shall furnish such information in regard to the society as the Registrar may require.

(4) The application shall be accompanied by the prescribed registration fee.

7 Registration

(1) When an application for registration is made, the Registrar shall satisfy himself that the society has complied with the provisions of this Act and any regulations made thereunder and that the society is a bona fide co-operative society and that its proposed rules are in conformity with the requirements of this Act and any regulations made thereunder, and for these purposes may make such enquiries and obtain such information as he thinks fit.

(2) The Registrar upon being satisfied of the foregoing matters may register the society and its rules and shall publish notice thereof in the Gazette.

(3) If the Registrar refuses to register a society an appeal shall lie to the tribunal appointed by regulations under this Act within one month from the date of such refusal. The decision of the tribunal shall be final and shall not be called in question in any civil court.

8 Societies to be bodies corporate

The registration of a society shall render it a body corporate by the name under which it is registered, with perpetual succession, and with power to hold property, to enter into contracts, to institute and defend suits and other legal proceedings, and to do all things necessary for the purpose of its constitution.

9 Evidence of registration

A certificate of registration signed by the Registrar shall be conclusive evidence that the society therein mentioned is duly registered, unless it is proved that the registration of the society has been cancelled.

Duties and Privileges of Societies

10 Power of registered society to make rules

(1) Every registered society may, subject to the approval of the Registrar, make rules for any such things as are necessary or desirable for the purpose for which such society is established and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, may make rules

[46/1957 s 5.]

(a) providing that the area in which the society does business and has members shall be divided into districts, and that members of the committee be elected from such districts either directly or by district delegates;

(b) prescribing the number of members of the committee to be elected from each district;

(c) prescribing the method of forming new districts, either as additions to or substitutes for old districts;

(d) prescribing the manner and method of electing district delegates and the number thereof, and providing for the delegation to such district delegates of all or any of the powers exercisable by the members assembled at general meetings and for the method of calling and the persons who may call meetings of delegates;

(e) providing that a meeting of the delegates shall take the place fully and effectually in every way of a meeting of the members of the society.

(2) Rules made under subsection (1) shall bind the society and every member thereof and every person claiming through such member to the same extent as if every such member had subscribed his name and affixed his seal thereto and there were contained in such rules a covenant on the part of such member, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to be bound thereby.